Exalted
by R. Tom Mato
Summary: Ch97spoilersThe Juunishi Dream, and go to visit their old God and new.


Title: Exalted

Series: Prequel to Namesake

Author: R. Tom Mato

Rating: PG-13 for nekkid and implied naughty

Genre: Future/Drama/only SLIGHT angst

Characters: All Juunishi and God

Warning: One rather obvious occurance of underaged sex. Not that young, totally consensual, and you don't see anything, but I figured I'd warn in case someone gets pissy at me.

Notes: Love to my Soba-neesan for the title, because it was early and I'd finally finished it after three drafts, only to be interrupted in my victory dance by learning I had no title. "

Exalted

Shigure sat bolt upright in bed, eyes wide. He'd just had the strangest dream. He lifted a hand to run it through his hair, then rubbed the sleep from his eyes. His knuckles were drilling into his right eye when he noticed a strange moisture. Slowly, he pulled his hand back, staring at the knuckles in shock. Tears. Tears that were still flowing down his cheeks even harder than they had last time, because he'd been full of hope then and determination for his goal, not a failure trapped in his own game.

Then realization set in. That dream again. Different, yes, but still the same. How? She would have had to...he was right here...she'd let neither him nor Kureno near her lately because of their most recent...argument. Hatori..?

Jumping out of bed and just barely remembering to pull on his yukata, he dashed to the telephone and dialed the Dragon's number. Even for the hour of night it was answered quickly.

"Haa-san? You're there?" he asked, shocked. Not him and not Hatori. Had she taken to keeping Kureno close again? It had been a few days and given the ex-Rooster's state she certainly wouldn't want him becoming resentful and leaving.

"Of course I am," the low voice on the other end replied, sounding rather annoyed but just as shocked as Shigure. "I figured you'd be..."

He went silent, probably trying to figure out who else Akito would be with. There was sniffling on the other end, then a slight cough. Hatori must have just woken up as well.

"I'll meet you outside." Shigure stated, not waiting for an answer as he hung up the phone. As the Dog headed downstairs and slipped on his sandals he wondered who it would be. Akito let very few men near her, and even fewer women--though the latter could hardly be the culprit in this case.

The Souma estate was dark, the lines of houses like hulking shadows bearing over him. He missed the forest that surrounded his old house. Its scents and mysteries had kept him occupied for many a day before he'd taken in Yuki, then soon after Tohru and Kyou.

Along the path he could see the ghostly figures of some of the younger Juunishi heading toward the main house, clad in bathrobes, pajamas, and slippers. Which ones were here he couldn't tell. Hatori appeared out of the house across from his, looking like he'd tried to get changed before coming out. The rumpled state of his garments suggested he'd just grabbed them from the floor, however.

"A little boy," they heard Momiji's voice drift on the wind back to them. "He was holding my hand."

Hatori frowned, wiping at his eyes once more before reaching into his jacket pocket for a cigarette. "Is it safe for us to let them go? We had to wait until morning last time."

"No, no," Shigure replied, hiding a smirk. "It'll be good for them to meet their new god right away. The only reason we had to wait so long was because you couldn't stop crying."

Yes, there was a definite twitch in the Dragon's eye right then. "And of course walking in on Akira and Ren at such a moment had nothing to do with it."

"Did you cry too?" Kagura asked Ritsu in a hushed voice. Shigure sighed in relief. Oh thank goodness, it hadn't been Ritsu. They'd probably have heard his apologies during the night anyway the second Akito made even the slightest of comments if it had been.

The Monkey, only a few steps ahead of them, slowly nodded his head. His arms were wrapped around himself in a hug and if there had been time Shigure would've have given his younger cousin some comfort. This made him wonder just how much Ritsu remembered from the dream they'd had of Akito.

As they neared the main house, another figure dashed from a dark house to join them. Ayame looked more like a ghost than any of them at that time with his pale skin and silver hair.

"Tori-san!" the loud voice of the Snake shattered the awestruck atmosphere the younger Juunishi had created. "You saw it too, didn't you? It's happening all over again. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Hatori answered shortly, now flanked by both the Dog and the Snake. They cooed over him, teasing, even as a few last tears trailed down their cheeks. "Stop that."

Finally the front members of their little tribe stepped into the lights surrounding the main house. Shigure picked out Kisa, Momiji, Kagura, and Ritsu as they all came to a stop outside the entrance. Hatori noticed as well, frowning.

"Where are they?"

The children all looked back at them. It was strange to still think of them as children. Only Kisa and Hiro had yet to graduate from high school, but they were only one and two years off, respectively. The others were either studying for their careers or already out in the world practicing them. Time had passed so quickly.

"Why are we all stopped?" Shigure asked, then waved him hands to shoo them in. "Go on, go on. Our little godling lies just beyond those doors."

Kagura frowned. "What about the others? Should we go in without them?"

"We shouldn't go in at all." Ritsu murmured, though he kept glancing at the front doors anxiously.

"Yuki could be sleeping," Momiji piped up, though he didn't seem assured. "He takes a long time to wake up."

"Then where are Kureno and Hiro? Or Haru and Rin?" Kagura asked, frowning.

Shigure shook his head. "Kureno wouldn't be out here. I'm sure Haru and Rin are together, so that's no problem."

"Hiro should be at home," Kisa supplied. "But...he hasn't been sleeping well at night lately. His mother told me."

"So he could have already gone in ahead of us, or he'll be coming soon. It may take him longer to work it all out in his head."

Kisa didn't seem convinced but nodded anyway.

Ayame straightened, dropping his hands at his sides. His expression was stone, almost rivaling Hatori's. "Well then," he announced, his voice loud and commanding of attention as ever. "Let's go greet our newest family member, shall we?"

"Is this a good idea?" Ritsu asked meekly, but the Snake was already striding up the steps.

"Come along, come along," Shigure encouraged, giving the Monkey a gentle push. "We'll never know unless we see for ourselves."

The group started up the steps, Ayame hesitating for only the briefest of moments before opening the doors and going inside. The lights in the hallway were dim, but there was more than enough to see by. Everyone had gone quiet as they walked to keep anyone from waking up. Surely the maids would hurry to warn Akito of her visitors and that just wouldn't be any fun at all.

"Wait!" a voice behind them called out in a loud whisper, causing at least half of the younger ones to jump, stumble, or yelp softly.

They turned to face the newcomer, and sighs of relief came from a few of them. The Rat looked as if he'd just woken up, his hair mussed and clothes rumpled. His pajama shirt had been buttoned unevenly and the dim light illuminated the tear streaks on his cheeks.

"Is he.." Yuki began, staring down the hall to where Akito's room would be.

"Yuki!" Ayame exclaimed, rushing to the back of the group to his little brother. "Are you all right? The dream didn't scare you any, did it?" The Snake pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and started dabbing at the Rat's eyes.

"Stop that." he grumbled though he didn't lift a hand to stop him.

"Now, now, it's all right to cry. No need to be ashamed," Ayame assured him. "It took us hours to get Tori-san to stop."

"Ayame." the Dragon growled threateningly.

"I said it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Are we going to do this or not?" Kagura interrupted. She had her arms folded across her chest and was looking even more nervous now.

The Snake blinked, looked over, then gave an amused smile. "Of course."

He threw an arm around his little brother and they started again. Kisa stayed near the back, glancing over her shoulder every other step. The short distance to the room at the end of the hallway seemed to take forever, and the silence coming from the room didn't reassure them much. They stopped outside, Hatori and Shigure moving to the front of the group.

"What are you doing?" Akito's voice drifted through the wood, perplexed and a little annoyed.

Shigure held up a hand to stop Hatori from opening the door, tilting his head to listen. There was no reply, but he could hear movement. Then a sudden movement, like someone jumping up. A thump, then...scrambling...for clothing? Eyes widening, he reached forward to yank open the door but it slid open on it's own.

Akito stood there, her hastily tied kimono only half-hiding her naked body. Her hair was damp and a thin sheen of sweat covered her body. It was easy to see that they'd interrupted something. She blinked against the hallway's light and glared at them angrily.

"You...all of you...I didn't call you, what are you doing here?" she demanded, then swiped a hand at them. "Go away!"

"We came to see you, Akito." Hatori explained, then went silent, not sure how to tell her the rest.

"Just like we came to see your mother before you were born." the Dog added, hiding his smirk.

Akito looked first at Hatori, then glared at Shigure. As his words sunk in, she looked past him to stare wide-eyed at the group assembled outside her door. Tears were flowing unchecked from their eyes now and almost all their gazes were locked not on her face, but her...

"No," she hissed. "Stop crying! Stop crying and get out! Now! Go!"

They wouldn't move. Couldn't, even. Finally, Momiji stepped forward and reached out, hand trembling. He was immediately smacked away.

"Don't touch me!" Akito bellowed, backing up. "I told all of you to leave!"

She lashed out, hitting Momiji, who was closest. He let out a startled cry as her nails slashed his cheek, stumbling back into the protective numbers of his cousins. From behind Akito there was a loud thump followed by a muffled curse. It was hard to ignore that and her sudden change of mood from angry to startled. Shigure moved past her before she could recover.

"What do you think you're doing, Shigure!" Akito shrieked after a brief moment. "I didn't say you could come in!"

He didn't reply, moving straight to the closet in the far corner of the room. He could hear the others file in, deaf to Akito's raving. Shigure pulled the door aside, and for a moment he thought there was no one in there. The gasps from the female Juunishi proved otherwise and he stepped back, crouching down to see under the low shelf that was currently used to hold Akito's shoes, sandals, as well as a cramped and very naked Sheep.

"Hiro-kun," the Dog exclaimed, eyebrows raising. "This is a surprise."

The boy's eyes narrowed in a glare and he crawled out. He was just as sweaty as Akito, if not more so, but his eyes were red from tears. He stood, apparently uncaring for his nudity in front of his family and folded his arms over his chest.

"Who do you think you are, barging in here like-" he began his usual tirade, but Akito cut him off.

"Hiro, shut up." she ordered, voice low and threatening. The Sheep's mouth shut immediately, but he kept glaring at Shigure. His eyes wouldn't move over to the group where Kisa was, tears of a different kind flowing now.

"How long has this been going on, Akito?" Shigure asked.

"None of your business!" she snapped.

Hatori stepped forward, eyes drifting from Akito to Hiro and back again. "It will be the family's business. God or not, that's a sixteen year old boy you're with."

Akito's lips drew back in a snarl. "He's mine. I can do with him as I please."

"Will his mother see it that way?" he inquired coldly. How had they not seen?

Hiro's head jerked over, horror on his face. "You can't tell my mother!"

"This is why you haven't been sleeping at night?" Kisa asked, almost too soft to be heard. Hiro's expression dimmed and he turned away.

"This is interesting." a new voice came from the doorway and the tension faded for a second as Haru and Rin appeared. The Horse looked as though she'd had to have been dragged but the Cow was as calm as ever.

"All of you," Akito seethed. "Will never mention this to anyone. It does not leave this room."

"How are you expecting to hide the baby, Akito?" the Dog asked, his smirk turning dangerous. "You'll be showing in a few months."

She scowled but seemed to think for a moment. "If anyone asks I'll say it's Kureno's." she stated, tilting her chin up defiantly.

Hiro looked shocked and broken all at once but didn't speak in opposition. His arms had dropped to his sides, hands clenching and unclenching into fists. Shigure felt a moment's sympathy for the boy, especially since he hadn't expected her to go after him. She'd seemed so uninterested in the younger male Juunishi up until now.

"Now everyone, get out," she all but shouted. "I'm tired and very irritated with all of you. Don't even think of coming near here for the next week."

She strode past them to the rumpled pile of blankets and her futon on the other side of the room. An angry kick sent a pair of pants their way as well as a pair of boxers and she bent over to pick up a shirt to throw at them. Hiro silently picked up his clothes and pulled them on as the others drifted from the room.

Shigure left only after Hiro did, closing the bedroom door behind him. No one said a word as they traveled down the hallway and out into the cool night. They probably thought that this was awful, and it was, in a way. Things would be in an uproar for a while at Akito having a bastard child, especially after having turned down all attempts at an arranged marriage.

If she went with her plan she and Kureno would be forced to marry. The child would be raised not knowing the real identity of his father and Hiro would spend the rest of his life watching from the sidelines.

As the other went their separate ways, he noted Kisa glancing back at the Sheep before hurrying off for home.

The next few years would be most interesting indeed.


End file.
